- Was
born on January 14, 1958 in Varín, in the district of Žilina, Slovakia.
He is the son of a Czech father, Dr. Josef Žaloudek, and a Slovak mother
Valéria.

After High School, he studied for 2 years in a theological
university in Bratislava. The Communist regime was in power. When he refused
to collaborate with the Communist secret police, he was no longer allowed
to officially continue his studies in theology. He secretly entered the
order of the Capuchin friars, and continued, still in secret, to study
in Slovakia and in neighbouring Poland. In 1982, he was consecrated, once
again, secretly, in Warsaw, as a Catholic priest, through the auspices
of the archbishop Dabrawsky.

His official work was as a radio-therapist, in the cancer
hospital in Bratislava. In addition to this job, he organised and was
also often furtively active in smuggling Christian and religious books
across the "green frontier" - the high Tatra mountains between
Poland and Czechoslovakia.(After 1993, known as the Czech and Slovak Republics)
During those days of Communism, no religious books or films were allowed
in the "official culture."

Meanwhile, his hobby had always been photography. And
so he organised the presentation of numerous slide-shows, and he presented
5 and 16 mm movies with strictly Christian themes, in small communities
all across Czechoslovakia. Because of the wishes of the General Superior
of the Capuchin Order in Rome, Italy, he escaped from Czechoslovakia in
1983. He then finished his theological studies at the University Antonianum,
in Rome, specialising in "Christian spirituality;" and after
1987, he worked as a Catholic priest in Vienna, Austria. Part of his new
job in Vienna was to work not only for the Austrian people, but also for
emigrants. He became a "middleman," offering information between
the still secret church in Czechoslovakia and the hierarchic church in
Rome.

1991 he left the order, and married an immigrant woman
in Vienna. Since that time, he has worked once again officially, as a
radio-therapist - in the field of radio-oncology, in Vienna. Unofficially,
his work is as a pastoral assistant. He eventually returned as well, to
his young man's hobby - the presentation of slide-shows and photo-exhibitions.
Since he speaks fluent Czech, Slovak and German, he has been able to make
frequent visits to the countries between Vienna (Austria) and Prague (Czech
Republic) and the Bratislava of his youth (in the Slovak Republic.) These
are the places where he presents his popular slide-shows. As of today,
he has offered 85 slide-show-presentations and numerous photo-exhibits,
all surrounding these themes: 1).The Leper Colony in Moloka'i; 2). Slovakia
- An Unknown Country in the Heart of Europe; 3). Daily Things...
The slide-shows, (examples of which you may see on this homepage,) are
expressions of his personal Christian feelings, and they are also, as
can be seen, the result of his education, his background, and his knowledge
drawn from his personal life. He has been invited to speak on his themes
numerous times by international radio programs; and he has given interviews
for many different newspapers. Just recently, he has been asked to offer
his story and photos, to be used in a documentary movie to be made about
him by Slovak television.

Moloka'i - Only a few people know that
on this beautiful Hawaiian island, there exists a colony of lepers. This
colony became known at the end of the 19th century, when the Belgian Catholic
priest, Damian de Veuster arrived there to live with the colony as a volunteer.
Peter Zaloudek first read about this priest when he was 15 years old.
It was in a biography by a German author, Wilhelm Hünnermann - "On
the island of death". The book was published in Rome, Italy and had
been smuggled into Czechoslovakia. It was a true story, and it made a
tremendous impression on Peter Žaloudek. Perhaps it was thanks this early
impression, that he later decided to study theology and to become a priest.
But this book also evoked another desire in him: to visit Moloka'i, one
day. Of course, at that time of Communism and its rule, this was impossible.
Only many, many years later, after his emigration to the West, he found
the chance to fulfil his youthful dream.

During a vacation in Hawaii in 1997, he visited Moloka'i
for the first time. This first visit made an understandably powerful impression
upon him. He decided to return again, to spend more and more time on Moloka'i
and to obtain information and photographs of Fr.Damian and his history,
and about the people he touched, and their experiences. Žaloudek has visited
the island five times, and compiled his research into a 90 minute slideshow.
He believes that the example offered - of the unselfish and self-sacrificing
love of Fr.Damian for the unfortunate lepers, could not only help those
who do a different kind of "social work," today, but also it
could help all those people who long for and want to realise a more beautiful
world and a deeper and more valuable life in general. In the message of
Fr.Damian, Žaloudek sees that we can also find, today, in our modern and
civilised world, answers with many parallels to that time - a time when
thousands of people were sent to live in the exile. The prejudices, fears,
intolerance, egoism, and the incapacity to see beyond personal horizons,
belongs, unfortunately to our present daily world...

Slovakia: - had until 1918, been a part
of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. Today, at the beginning of the 21st
century, Slovakia is the neighbour country, not only to Austria, but also
to the EU. After the lengthy period of the Communist regime, Slovakia
is interested in joining the EU and in becoming a part of modern and multicultural
Europe. But today - perhaps more than in the Communist era - there is
still a kind of "spiritual iron curtain" in the minds of many
people - this time in the West. Many keep looking for reasons and conditions
that can be directed against the entry of this small country to the European
Union. However, Slovakia is a country with more than a thousand years
of Christian cultural traditions, a country with exquisite natural landscapes,
and beautiful people. Slovakia possesses a well educated population, highly
developed industries and a sound infrastructure as well.
Slovakia deserves to be spoken about, and to be presented to a Western
public. This presentation may, I hope, help in tearing down the nonsensical
"spiritual iron curtain" which is still present in the minds
of some people...